The Dome of Heaven

Apologies for my lack of posts, but I've got a very good reason.

I've been looking at a whole lot of domes.

I'm currently trying to figure out the finer points of my postgraudate dissertation. I went through a few ideas; some too big and some too small, before realising that I should focus on something I love absolutely.

Strangely enough, that absolute love was of domes. Domes, cupolas, vaults, big hunking chunks of stone and glass above our heads, material and immaterial. I suppose it seems like a strange area of architecture to focus on, but I think that some of these pictures may make it easier for you to see things from my point of view (which is, incidentally, looking up).

The following pictures are a selection by David Stephenson, a wonderfully talented architectural photographer who has produced two of my favourite books: Visions of Heaven & Heavenly Vaults.

The Pantheon, Rome.

Sant'Andrea delle Valle, Rome.

Duomo, Padua.

Basilica di Superga, Turin.

Val-du-Grace, Paris.

Sant'Ivo alla Sapienza, Rome.

St. Benedict's Chapel, Plasy.

Until I've figured out the nitty gritty of my dissertation, I'm just going to leave you with these. That way you'll be safe in the knowledge that, whilst I'm not blogging, I am concerning myself with things of absolute beauty. Do you have a favourite dome? Please, go ahead & tell me about it!